The Presidency has urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stop the media smear against it.
This was in reaction to statement by the opposition party against the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa.
However in a statement signed by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in Abuja on Saturday – – It reacted to reports which claimed that the Department of State Services (DSS) has indicted Bulkachuwa of corruption.
The presidency says smear campaigns like this could cause a strain in the relationship between the Executive and the Judiciary, which has operated smoothly under the present dispensation.
“While the PDP and its candidates are free to exercise their right to challenge the results of the 2019 presidential election, it is unacceptable to drag the name of the President or other organs of the executive branch into the campaign of character assassination against the President of the Court of Appeal.
“The DSS doesn’t conduct its duties in the manner so described and you can’t use a fake security report to drag the presidency into a smear campaign against the President of the Court of Appeal.
“Attacking judges because the outcomes of cases don’t favour you and keeping quiet when the verdict is in your favour smacks of insincerity, double standard, and mischief.
“Intimidating and impugning the character of judges in order to force them to bow to blackmail is against the spirit of an independent judiciary,’’ he said.
On the recent Appeal Court judgement concerning Osun state governorship election, Garba said: “We cannot keep changing the definition of an independent judiciary to suit our political convenience and bias without ultimately creating chaos in the system.
“If the PDP continues to blackmail and smear judges with fake news stories, we will ultimately find ourselves dealing with a situation where judges may be afraid to handle cases, thereby creating delays in the dispensation of justice.’’
